Following Francis Maude’s announcement that he will not be seeking re-election as MP for Horsham the Horsham Conservative Association had begun the selection process for the next conservative candidate. The association operates a democratic selection process which will culminate with a meeting of all Horsham party members on 12th March 2015.

We have upheld our promise not to raise Council Tax in spite of losing considerable Government grants. There have been enormous changes within the structure of Horsham District Council, lead by your Conservative Councillors. A close watch is kept on all expenditure within the Council, resulting in a continuation of our Gold Awarded refuse scheme and many other benefits that many Councils have had to forego in this time of economic stress.

Council Tax has been frozen again this year and we will not increase it above inflation during the next 4 year council term.

As you can see below we have the lowest council tax and green waste charges in West Sussex. You will note that our combined green waste and council tax charge is 2/3 of the average of the other 6 district councils. Even when parish precepts are added our combined council tax plus parish precept is the lowest in the district.

We have not increased our council tax since 2009/10 i.e. it has been frozen for 5 years. Out of the 211 district councils in England Horsham has the 31st lowest council tax.

Two areas within the Roffey South ward resemble bombsites. Your local councillors have consistently applied robust pressure to convince the land owners to re-develop them. It is always our aim to have unsightly and derelict land utilised for new homes, especially affordable homes, for first time buyers.

The council’s Adopt a Street initiative was officially launched on March 2. HDC want as many residents as possible to sign up to be voluntary litter pickers and to help keep the area near where they live clean and tidy. This will supplement the great work, which the Council already does. Volunteers will be supplied with gloves, a litter pick, high-vis waistcoat. Anyone interested can sign up on line (horsham.gov.uk) or contact Karen Grisley on 739387.

The recent road re-surfacing programme and street light upgrades are a very welcome sight. Simon and Roy have been applying pressure on West Sussex County Council to accept their responsibility, the same applies to on street vehicle parking in some parts of Roffey, however, the process is slow. Hopefully we will not see the same pothole problems we had last winter but please let us know if you see any.

At long last the Guinness Trust development at the heart of Roffey (opposite the Millennium Hall) is nearly complete. Roy and Simon have been working keep the pressure on the developers, to see this long standing eyesore of derelict housing torn down and new houses built. It will provide some much need affordable housing and lift the whole feel of the area.

Horsham District Council is currently consulting on its next strategic planning document setting out the Councils Development plans for the next 20 years, as required by the Government. The main proposal it contains is the building of 2,500 new houses together with a 500,000 square foot business park, a supermarket and possibly a new station and secondary school. This would be located in the countryside north of the A264. The plans have been met with opposition from the public and some local council members.

Your district councillors, Roy and Simon agree that there is a need for development. We need new housing and places of work, to keep our towns and villages alive and prevent house prices becoming even more unaffordable. However, they believe that there are far better sites than those that have been proposed in the council’s consultation document, including brownfield sites.

The strategic gap between Horsham and Crawley, now that the Kilnwood Vale development has commenced on the edge of Crawley, has been reduced to as little as two miles. There should be no further erosion of our beautiful countryside in our green belt that preserves the separate identities of the towns of Horsham and Crawley. The joining of the towns of Horsham and Crawley to create ‘Craw-sham’, often joked about, is actually happening.

It was why the A264 by-pass was strategically placed where it was, an impenetrable boundary stretching between the Great Daux roundabout to the Moorhead roundabout in Roffey. The express intention of the council has been from that day that there shall not be any development beyond it. Once that boundary is breached there is nothing to stop further development spreading north.

The proposed North Horsham development would create a soulless community divorced from our historic market town of Horsham, separated by the by-pass. This is not building a community. This is not about creating space for people to inhabit and spend time in. This is existence living around a supermarket and an industrial park, which will be closed at weekends.
It is proposed that there will be a new station within the development but this will mean that Roffey residents will suffer the downgrading of Littlehaven station with fewer, if any, fast trains to London.

If the development happens it will have a massive impact on the A24, A264 and other local roads. Everyone who is familiar with those roads in rush hour will know that the traffic is bad enough as it is. The Council’s Preferred Strategy does not address this issue nor provide solutions for it

The consultation period runs until 11 October 2013. We urge all residents to write to the council to give their views on this building on our green belt. If you wish to comment please go onto the HDC website (horsham.gov.uk) or send an email to strategic.planning@horsham.gov.uk.

A recent quality of life survey carried out by Experian UK, on behalf of the Sunday Times, ranked Horsham as the 5th best place to live out of the 324 local authorities in England. 50 different rating factors were looked at including employment rates, education, crime and general facilities. The report said Horsham is a busy town with good schools and facilities. Unfortunately, on the downside there is more demand for housing than available supply which is making it unaffordable for many.

The small play area behind Beech Road is currently in a poor state of repair and generally very tatty looking. We have received a number of comments from residents complaining about the state of equipment. Horsham District Council held a meeting with local residents to discuss the future of the area. The current plan is to remove the existing equipment and install two or three pieces of new play equipment and the replacement of the wall and gates, by the end of March 2013.

Further enhancements may be possible if grant funding is received. Another consultation meeting will be organised shortly to discuss the detailed proposals with interested people. A group of local residents have formed a Facebook group “Beech Road Small Children’s Park” where you can follow progress or join in the campaign. Your local District Councillors do spend time inspecting play equipment and notifying the council if they notice anything needing repair.

Before the Localism Act, the Government imposed a yearly requirement of 650 new homes for the District. Under the Localism Act all local authorities must set their own housing targets. Any housing numbers which we plan for the future have to be evidence based and need to take into account demand based on factors like economic growth and population changes.

The South East in particular has to plan ahead for more houses because the people are living longer, there are a large number of family breakdowns and an increasing birth rate. The number of homes built will directly affect our provision of affordable housing and with a waiting list of over 1000 families this is a key issue for our town. We need to create more homes and jobs – the key is to provide the right houses in the right place.

Earlier this year, HDC asked residents to comment on “How much housing does Horsham District need?” over the next 20 years. It is likely to be the new year before a decision is made on the number. Horsham District Council will also be consulting, on potential site options within the District for future housing developments up to 2026.

One of the proposed options is land north of the A264 by-pass in north Horsham (between Langhurstwood Road and the Moorhead roundabout). Roy and Simon, your local district councillors, are concerned about development in this area. While they recognise the importance of providing new homes for the benefit of the town and its residents, they feel that it is important that the strategic gap separating Horsham and Crawley is maintained and that other sites would be more suitable and that the area of countryside north of Horsham should be protected.

As usual, you can rely on us to keep you informed once the consultation process is underway.